An intelligent giant hawk is preying smugglers using a well-known route through the hills. This has caused consternation for a band of gypsies living outside the village who rely on the smugglers to deliver material components for their unique type of magic. Is the hawk working at the behest of the village council, who sees the gypsies as dangerous troublemakers?
* Rumours of a mean sheriff persecuting outsider ethnic group which is unliked by the locals
* Sightings of a really huge bird picking folk up and flying-off over the mountains
* Party hired by husband whose wife is feared to be a victim of the bird
* Druid in forest where wagon-train of said travelling ethnics drives off the party with low-level animal antics and plant obstacles (slow progression in the escalation of damage/threat)
* Fights with the Sheriff's men at arms in the town and woods
* Eventually it is revealed that the Druid called the bird to evac the ethnics
* Knock-over the corrupt sheriff (himself a smuggler of some-such) for most of the loot (including contraband) and the thanks of the ethnics, and the friendship of the Druid.
*A caravan of merchants appears to be hounded by a small band of highwaymen or brigands on horseback in a land mixing classic western fantasy with eastern arabic motiffs. The brigands have among them a mystic who can command a Roc or Giant Eagle.
When the PCs intervene, the brigands claim they represent the chief of a tribe of gypsy nomads and the men in the 'merchant caravan' are actually the thieves who stole an ancient magical trinket/amulet from them.*
I ran this very scenario on the fly for my friends this past Saturday night. Spooky.
A tribe of mountain barbarians revere the Hawk totem and give offerings to a small family of Giant Hawks that make their nest on an eyrie above the tribes village.
Seven days ago, a travelling group of dark-skinned nomads wearing bright colours stopped to trade with the barbarians. After two days the nomads suddenly depart in the dead of night. The barbarians soon discover that one of the giant hawks is missing.
Suspicious of the nomads and their sneaking away at night, the barbarian tribe's shaman asks you to track down the nomads and see if they had anything to do with the giant hawks disappearance.
The nomads did take the Giant Hawk using an amulet that charmed the giant raptor. Their plan is to first use the Giant Hawk to assist in punishing another group of nomads who stole something of value from them and then to sell the bird to a collector in the Great City.
The King's revenue men are watching the seaports, so the smugglers have fallen in with the hawk-riding gypsies to ensure a steady supply of contraband.
You meet some smugglers who are desperately trying to catch a band of gypsies. The smugglers were hired to sneak medical supplies into a warzone and once inside bring out a trapped diplomat. The gypsies camped near them at one point and stole the book of passwords and maps and contacts that the smugglers need to navigate in the warzone.
A group of barstormers come into town on a hawk and set up an aerial show. They are using the barnstorming as a cover for smuggling activities, since it allows them to bypass tax posts without suspicion. Being somewhat unsavory, the townsfolk find some of their valuables missing, and blame it on the Gypsy caravan that is passing through at the same time. When the Gypsies leave the barnstormers exclaim their willingness to hunt them down, but the characters, who have been pickpocketed, have evidence that points towards the barnstormers instead.
An intelligent giant hawk is preying smugglers using a well-known route through the hills. This has caused consternation for a band of gypsies living outside the village who rely on the smugglers to deliver material components for their unique type of magic. Is the hawk working at the behest of the village council, who sees the gypsies as dangerous troublemakers?
ReplyDelete* Rumours of a mean sheriff persecuting outsider ethnic group which is unliked by the locals
ReplyDelete* Sightings of a really huge bird picking folk up and flying-off over the mountains
* Party hired by husband whose wife is feared to be a victim of the bird
* Druid in forest where wagon-train of said travelling ethnics drives off the party with low-level animal antics and plant obstacles (slow progression in the escalation of damage/threat)
* Fights with the Sheriff's men at arms in the town and woods
* Eventually it is revealed that the Druid called the bird to evac the ethnics
* Knock-over the corrupt sheriff (himself a smuggler of some-such) for most of the loot (including contraband) and the thanks of the ethnics, and the friendship of the Druid.
* End
oops:
ReplyDelete* Wife of husband is a member of the ethnicity in question and was carried off and later potentially reunited
Actually I just ran this adventure...
ReplyDelete*A caravan of merchants appears to be hounded by a small band of highwaymen or brigands on horseback in a land mixing classic western fantasy with eastern arabic motiffs. The brigands have among them a mystic who can command a Roc or Giant Eagle.
When the PCs intervene, the brigands claim they represent the chief of a tribe of gypsy nomads and the men in the 'merchant caravan' are actually the thieves who stole an ancient magical trinket/amulet from them.*
I ran this very scenario on the fly for my friends this past Saturday night. Spooky.
Spooky indeed!
ReplyDeleteA tribe of mountain barbarians revere the Hawk totem and give offerings to a small family of Giant Hawks that make their nest on an eyrie above the tribes village.
Seven days ago, a travelling group of dark-skinned nomads wearing bright colours stopped to trade with the barbarians. After two days the nomads suddenly depart in the dead of night. The barbarians soon discover that one of the giant hawks is missing.
Suspicious of the nomads and their sneaking away at night, the barbarian tribe's shaman asks you to track down the nomads and see if they had anything to do with the giant hawks disappearance.
The nomads did take the Giant Hawk using an amulet that charmed the giant raptor. Their plan is to first use the Giant Hawk to assist in punishing another group of nomads who stole something of value from them and then to sell the bird to a collector in the Great City.
Nice work people! These are great!
The King's revenue men are watching the seaports, so the smugglers have fallen in with the hawk-riding gypsies to ensure a steady supply of contraband.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the nomads have to smuggle the giant bird into the Great City.
ReplyDeleteYou meet some smugglers who are desperately trying to catch a band of gypsies. The smugglers were hired to sneak medical supplies into a warzone and once inside bring out a trapped diplomat. The gypsies camped near them at one point and stole the book of passwords and maps and contacts that the smugglers need to navigate in the warzone.
ReplyDeleteYou play a giant hawk.
Barnstorming lead me to this, though I'm late:
ReplyDeleteA group of barstormers come into town on a hawk and set up an aerial show. They are using the barnstorming as a cover for smuggling activities, since it allows them to bypass tax posts without suspicion. Being somewhat unsavory, the townsfolk find some of their valuables missing, and blame it on the Gypsy caravan that is passing through at the same time. When the Gypsies leave the barnstormers exclaim their willingness to hunt them down, but the characters, who have been pickpocketed, have evidence that points towards the barnstormers instead.